The old North of Scotland Bank by Archibald Simpson viewed from the CastlegateCentral LibrarySt Mark's Church, Rosemount ViaductMarischal College
The architecture of Aberdeen, Scotland, is known for the use of granite as the principal construction material. The stone, which has been quarried in and around the city, has given Aberdeen the epithet The Granite City, or more romantically, and less commonly used, the Silver City, after the mica in the stone which sparkles in the sun.
The hard grey stone is one of the most durable materials available and helps to explain why the city's buildings look brand-new when they have been newly cleaned and the cement has been pointed. Unlike other Scottish cities where less durable stone, such as sandstone, has been used, the buildings do not weather, and need very little maintenance.
Union Street
Union Street runs for 0.8 miles (1.3km), is 70 feet (21m) wide and originally contained the principal shops and most of the public buildings, all granite. Part of the street crosses the Denburn ravine (utilised for the line of the Great North of Scotland Railway) by Union Bridge, a fine granite arch of 132 feet (40m) span, with portions of the older town still fringing the gorge, 50 feet (15m) below the level of Union Street. The latter was built between 1801 and 1805, and named after the Acts of Union 1800 with Ireland.
Amongst the notable buildings in the street are the Town and County Bank, the Music Hall, the Trinity Hall of the incorporated trades (originating between 1398 and 1527), now a shopping mall; the Palace Hotel; the former office of the Northern Assurance Company, and the National Bank of Scotland.
In Castle Street, a continuation eastwards of Union Street, is the new Town House, the headquarters of the city council. Designed by Peddie and Kinnear and built between 1868 and 1874, it is one of the most splendid granite edifices in Scotland, in Flemish-Gothic style in recognition of close trade links between Aberdeen and Flanders, it contains the great hall, with an open timber ceiling and oak-panelled walls; the Sheriff Court House; the Town and County Hall, with portraits of Prince Albert, the 4th Earl of Aberdeen, various Lord Provosts and other distinguished citizens. In the vestibule of the entrance corridor stands a suit of black armour, believed to have been worn by Provost Sir Robert Davidson, who fought in the Battle of Harlaw in 1411. On the south-western corner is the 210ft (64 m) West Tower, with its prominent bartizans, which commands a fine view of the city and surrounding country.
The West Tower of the new Town House
On the corner of Castle Street and King Street stands the old North of Scotland Bank by Aberdeen born architect, Archibald Simpson. This building, with its imposing corner entrance of four giant order composite columns, and statue of Ceres above, is now a pub named after its original architect. On the opposite side of the street is the fine building of the Union Bank, redeveloped in 2005 as the High Court, the third permanent high court to sit in Scotland.
Castlegate
At the upper end of Castlegate stands The Salvation Army Citadel, an effective castellated mansion, on the site of the medieval Aberdeen Castle. In front of it is the Mercat Cross,[1] built in 1686 by John Montgomery, a native architect. This open-arched structure, 21ft (6 m) in diameter and 18ft (5 m) high, comprises a large hexagonal base from the centre of which rises a shaft with a Corinthian capital, on which is the royal unicorn. The base is highly decorated, including medallions illustrating Scottish monarchs from James I to James VII. To the east of Castle Street were the military barracks, which were demolished in 1965 and replaced with two tower blocks.
Castlegate is also home to some of the oldest surviving streets in Aberdeen. Some of these are from the 13th and 14th centuries.[1] Two houses, Provost Skene's House (1545) which is now a museum, and Provost Ross's House (1593) are in the Castlegate as well.[1]
Rosemount Viaduct
This imposing terrace of late Victorian granite buildings is a prominent landmark in the city. Constructed in 1892, to a design by open competition winner Alexander Brown, the Central Library, which was opened by its benefactor Andrew Carnegie, stands at the west end of the terrace. Brown was also responsible for the extension to create the Central Reading Room in 1905. St Mark's Church by architect Alexander Marshall Mackenzie in the middle of the terrace has a giant order quatrostyle Corinthian portico, and dome modelled on St Paul's in London. His Majesty's Theatre by Frank Matcham, 1906, stands at the east end.
Marischal College
Marischal College and Greyfriars Kirk on Broad Street, opened by King Edward VII in 1906, is the second largest granite building in the world (after the Escorial, Madrid), and is one of the most splendid examples of Edwardian architecture in Britain. The architect, Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, a native of Elgin, adapted his material, white granite, to the design of the building with the originality of genius. This magnificent building is no longer a seat of learning. Following a comprehensive restoration project, it re-opened in 2011 as the new corporate headquarters of Aberdeen City Council.
Kirk of St Nicholas, one of Scotland's largest parish churches and is subdivided into East and West churches. The large kirkyard of the Kirk of St Nicholas is separated from Union Street by a 147ft (45 m) long Ionic façade. The divided church within, with a central tower and spire, forms one continuous building 220ft (67 m) in length. The West Church was built in 1755, by James Gibbs, and the East Church was built in 1837 by Archibald Simpson.[1]
St Machar's Cathedral
St Machar's Cathedral begun in the 12th century, a few hundred yards from the river Don took centuries to build with the exception of the period of the episcopate of William Elphinstone (1484–1511). Gavin Dunbar, who followed him in 1518, completed the structure by adding the two western spires and the southern transept. With high vaulted ceilings and a large church yard, you can see the remains of old parts of the church which are now ruin. Large columns supporting the ceiling arches tower from floor to ceiling on the north and south sides of the main section of the church.
Residential buildings
Seamount Court and Porthill Court (foreground)
Many high-rise residential buildings were built in Aberdeen following the Second World War. Of note are eight tower blocks constructed between 1959 and 1977 which were Grade A listed in January 2021, on account of their "outstanding architectural quality and historic interest".[2] The decision to list the towers was controversial and was appealed by Aberdeen City Council to the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government.[lower-alpha 1][4] In their decision, DPEA supported the listing of 5 of the 8 towers, Porthill Court, Seamount Court, Virginia Court, Marischal Court and Gilcomstoun Land. The DPEA required that 3 of the towers, Hutcheon, Greig and Thistle Courts, and some of the interiors of the remaining 5, be delisted.[5]
Other Significant Buildings in Aberdeen
The Masonic Temple in Crown Street, with its distinctive open pediment, designed by Harbourne Maclennan, Jenkins and Marr, and constructed in 1910, is an example of Edwardian Baroque architecture.
Open pediment, Masonic Temple, Crown Street, 1910.
The Bridge of Dee was until 1832, the only access to the city from the south across the river Dee. It consists of seven semicircular ribbed arches, is about 30ft (10 m) high, and was built in 1527 by Bishops Elphinstone and Dunbar.[1] It was nearly all rebuilt 1718–23, and in 1842 was widened from 14 to 26ft (4 to 8 m). This was the site of a battle in 1639 between the Royalists under Viscount Aboyne and the Covenanters who were led by the Marquis of Montrose.
St. Devenick's Bridge (locally known as the Shakkin' Briggie, or as Morison's Bridge), is a suspension bridge crossing the River Dee from Ardoe to Cults, designed by John Smith (architect), and built in 1837. It is now derelict. The bridge is a Category A listed structure and there are plans to restore it.
Wellington Bridge
Wellington Suspension Bridge is a very narrow river Dee crossing. It was designed by Captain Samuel Brown and opened in 1831 to replace the Craiglug ferry. Refurbished in 1930, the Category A listed building was closed to vehicular traffic in 1984 and to pedestrians in March 2002. Aberdeen City Council engineers strengthened and preserved the bridge and it reopened as a public footbridge in the late 2000s.
Bridge of Don
The Bridge of Don crosses river Don and has five granite arches, each 75ft (23 m) in span, and was built 1827–1832.
Sir James McGrigor (1778–1851) is celebrated with a 70ft (21 m) high obelisk of Peterhead granite, originally erected in the square of Marischal College, in memory of the military surgeon and director-general of the Army Medical Department, who was thrice elected Rector of the college. In the 1890s when the college was extended, the obelisk was moved to Duthie Park.
Queen Victoria's bronze statue stands on the roundabout at Queens Cross facing west towards Balmoral. It was originally erected by the royal tradesmen of the city at the south-east corner of St. Nicholas Street and Union Street in 1893, replacing an earlier (1866) marble sculpture by Alexander Brodie (removed to the Town House in 1888) but was moved to its present location in 1964.
Aberdeen is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeenshire, but is now separate from the council area of Aberdeenshire.
Marischal College is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has been the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. The building was constructed for and is on long-term lease from the University of Aberdeen, which still uses parts of the building to store its museum collections. Today, it provides corporate office space and public access to council services, adjacent to the Town House, the city's historic seat of local government. It is the second largest granite building in the world.
Old Aberdeen is part of Aberdeen in Scotland. Old Aberdeen was originally a separate burgh, which was erected into a burgh of barony on 26 December 1489. It was incorporated into adjacent Aberdeen by Act of Parliament in 1891. It retains the status of a community council area.
Archibald Simpson was a Scottish architect, who along with his rival John Smith, is regarded as having fashioned the character of Aberdeen as "The Granite City".
The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the "Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting". It is also known as "The Mither Kirk" of the city. As of 1 January 2021, the building falls under the care and maintenance of the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland.
St Andrew's Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It is the see of the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, who is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney.
Union Street is a major street and shopping thoroughfare in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is named after the Acts of Union 1800 with Ireland.
The city of Aberdeen in Scotland has amenities that cover a wide range of cultural activities, including a selection of museums and galleries. There are festivals and theatrical events throughout the year.
There has been a human presence in the area of Aberdeen since the Stone Age. Aberdeen as a city, grew up as two separate burghs: Old Aberdeen, the university and cathedral settlement, at the mouth of the River Don; and New Aberdeen, a fishing and trading settlement where the Denburn entered the Dee estuary.
The Bridge of Dee or Brig o Dee is a road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland. The term is also used for the surrounding area of the city. Dating from 1527, the bridge crosses at what was once the City of Aberdeen's southern boundary.
John Smith was a Scottish architect. His career started in 1805 and he was appointed as the official city architect of Aberdeen in 1807, the first person to hold this post. Together with Archibald Simpson, he contributed significantly to the architecture of Aberdeen, and many of the granite buildings that gave the city the nickname "The Granite City" or also "The Silver City" are attributed to them.
Castlegate is a small area of Aberdeen, Scotland, located centrally at the east end of the city's main thoroughfare Union Street. Generally speaking, locals consider it to encompass the square at the end of Union Street where the Mercat Cross and Gallowgate are located.
Marischal Square is a mixed use complex on Broad Street, Aberdeen, Scotland. The development is located on the site of St. Nicholas House, Aberdeen City Council's former 14-storey headquarters building, whose demolition was completed on 18 June 2014, after staff had been relocated to the redeveloped Marischal College across the road.
The Triple Kirks in Aberdeen, Scotland were built at the time of the Disruption of 1843 when the Free Church of Scotland split from the Church of Scotland. The three churches were all part of a single building with a tall spire but they housed separate congregations. The East Free Kirk was completed 1843 followed by the West Free Kirk and South Free Kirk early the following year. From about 1966 the building progressively fell into disuse and became mostly ruinous but with the spire remaining.
Robert Gordon Wilson (1844–1931) was a 19th/20th century Scottish architect based in Aberdeen. He was from a strong United Presbyterian background and specialised in churches for the United Presbyterian Church and Free Church of Scotland.
Sir William Leslie of Nethermuir (1802–1879) was a Scottish architect and building contractor who served as Lord Provost of Aberdeen 1869 to 1873.
Alexander McDonald, M'Donald or MacDonald was a Scottish sculptor specialising in granite. He was also an expert on Egyptian granite sculpture.
↑ "Report of Handling"(PDF). Historic Environment Scotland. 18 January 2021. Archived(PDF) from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
↑ Sanderson, Daniel (1 January 2022). "Scotland 'ludicrous' to grant tower block protected status". The Daily Telegraph.
↑ Scran, "The statue in the foreground is that of General Charles Gordon who was killed at Khartoum. The statue was sculpted by T. Stuart Burnett, ARSA. This Gordon was unrelated to Robert Gordon."
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
